"Reasonable my—"
Moria had only managed to roar half the sentence.
From the corner of the room.
"Clang—"
A crisp sound of a blade being drawn rang out, and Mihawk opened his eyes. At the same time, Sakazuki snorted coldly, his right arm beginning to emit billowing black smoke.
Moria's voice abruptly cut off.
He glanced at the charred crater outside, then looked at the several monsters in the conference room, and smoothly settled his butt back into the chair.
"...On second thought, it really is quite reasonable. I have no objections." Moria wiped the cold sweat from his brow, gritting his teeth as he backed down.
"Excellent, I like reasonable people."
Kane nodded in satisfaction, his gaze passing over Moria and landing on Doflamingo, who wore tattered sunglasses.
"Third clause: The G-5 Branch has the authority to assign specific tasks to members of the Seven Warlords of the Sea based on strategic needs. Task content includes intelligence gathering, targeted suppression, and... product distribution."
Doflamingo's brow furrowed sharply.
"Distribution?" His voice was low and suppressed. "What products?"
Kane didn't answer directly. Instead, he lifted a long, rectangular metal case from under the table and opened it with a "click."
The case was lined with red velvet, inside which lay ten strangely shaped, matte-black standard rifles.
The barrels were one-third longer than the Navy's current service weapons, emitting a cold metallic sheen.
"Sea Stone Bullet Rifles."
Kane casually picked one up and tossed it in front of Doflamingo.
"Sea Stone Bullet Rifles," Kane said, hefting one in his hand. "The latest product from Wano Country. Sea Stone bullets, the bane of ability users. One shot, and even Logia Types have to take it lying down."
"The current inventory in the G-5 armory is a full twenty thousand rifles. Monthly production capacity from now on will be stable at over five thousand units."
All three fell silent.
Sea Stone weapons were astronomically priced in the Underworld.
A single Sea Stone bullet on the black market cost over a hundred thousand Berries, and a complete Sea Stone rifle couldn't be obtained for less than several hundred thousand.
Twenty thousand rifles.
As this number processed in his mind, Doflamingo's breathing grew heavier.
He understood the value of this batch all too well.
The demand for Sea Stone weapons in the Underworld always outstripped supply. Royal families of various nations, underground warlords, even the Revolutionary Army—all were desperately searching for this ultimate weapon capable of countering ability users.
Thirty thousand rifles, if all flowed into the black market, conservatively estimated, would be worth at least ten billion Berries.
"I know you're doing the math," Kane said, watching the other's chest heave violently, chuckling lightly. "You've already established a fairly comprehensive smuggling and distribution network in the North Blue and the first half of the Grand Line."
"So?"
"So, from today onward, you are G-5's arms dealer."
Doflamingo took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the wild joy in his heart and his fear of Kane's strength.
Once business was on the table, his instinctive greed as a tyrant once again took the upper hand.
He leaned back in his chair, his pink feathered coat rustling, the corners of his mouth curling back into that arrogant smile.
"Fufufufu... What an astonishingly large deal, Admiral Kane. In that case, how shall we split the profits?"
"Nine-one." Kane uttered the two words lightly.
"Nine for me, one for you?"
"One for you, nine for me."
The conference hall fell silent for a full three seconds.
Doflamingo's smile remained unchanged, but Trebol behind him was already breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Admiral Kane." Doflamingo's voice still carried a hint of amusement, but a vein throbbed on his forehead. "Do you perhaps misunderstand the meaning of the word 'cooperation'?"
"A nine-one split, with me bearing all the transportation risks, channel maintenance, and buyer connections—while you just supply the goods and take ninety percent of the profits?"
"This isn't called cooperation."
"This is called robbery."
Kane tilted his head, his expression sincere. "You're right."
"That's why the term I used isn't 'cooperation.'"
His slender finger gently tapped the header of the agreement.
"Look carefully. It says here, 'Memorandum of Strategic Cooperation.'"
"The meaning of a memorandum is—I inform you, you take note, and don't forget it."
Doflamingo's smile finally froze.
He slowly stood up, his over-three-meter-tall frame casting a large shadow in the conference hall.
"Kane." He removed his sunglasses.
The eyes behind them no longer held the previous mockery and probing.
"I am Donquixote Doflamingo."
"The blood of the creators of this world flows in my veins."
"Do you think you can treat me like a dog to command?"
The temperature in the air plummeted.
Trebol, Diamante, and Pica had already risen to their feet, hands on their weapons, ready to fight to the death at any moment.
Moria and Crocodile simultaneously pushed their chairs back half a meter.
Kane didn't move.
He didn't even look up at Doflamingo, instead lowering his head to flip through the last page of the agreement.
"Article Four." He read aloud. "If a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea refuses to carry out a specialized task assigned by G-5, it will be regarded as automatic forfeiture of their Warlord status. After disqualification, the original bounty will be reinstated, along with the requirement to pay a fine equivalent to the total bounty exempted during their tenure, as well as—"
He finally looked up at Doflamingo.
"A thirty-billion registration fee, non-refundable."
A visible crack appeared in Doflamingo's composure.
"Of course, you could also choose to turn hostile." Kane's tone was airy. "Attack me right here in this room."
Doflamingo's fingers trembled slightly.
Not from fear.
From rage.
Utter rage.
He wanted to kill the man before him.
He wanted to use the String-String Fruit to tear this Navy Admiral to pieces, to raze the entire G-5 to the ground!
A deathly silence lasted for a full ten seconds.
"...Fufufufu."
A dry laugh rang out.
He sat back down.
The face twisted with anger returned to its usual perverse and arrogant expression.
"Nine-one, then nine-one."
He crossed his legs, as if nothing had just happened.
"I've experienced the Admiral's methods. But I have one condition."
"Speak."
"Ownership of the sales channels for this batch of Sea Stone weapons, as well as the protective umbrella network along the route, will remain with the Donquixote Family. G-5 can only be responsible for supplying the goods and must not interfere with my Underworld operations."
Doflamingo stared fixedly at Kane—this was his bottom line.
If even the distribution channels were infiltrated by G-5, then he would no longer be the "Joker" of the Underworld, but merely a high-level errand boy.
"Is that all?"
Kane waved his hand dismissively. "Fine, the channels are yours. I'm a man who separates business from personal matters. I have no interest in the exhausting work of fighting, killing, or managing gangs. As long as the numbers on the monthly ledger add up, that's all I care about."
Doflamingo's mouth twitched violently.
He had expected Kane to put up all sorts of resistance, or at least plant a few G-5 Navy officers to oversee things.
Agreeing so readily could only mean that in Kane's eyes, things like the underground network or being the Underworld's overlord were utterly insignificant!
Because as long as G-5 controlled the production capacity of Sea Stone weapons, Doflamingo's distribution channels would forever depend on him.
What use is a hose when someone else holds the faucet?
This realization churned a wave of intense nausea and helplessness in Doflamingo's stomach.
But he could only swallow it down.
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